Don't Look in the Basement!

These shots were taken at different times during 1987 in the basement of my first house. My organizational skills have improved slightly since then. In a couple of these shots I can see the 39WLD that I got running last year and was in Greasy Kulture #8. I also see the back fender of the 57 Pan that I am working on now. It belonged to a buddy of mine back then and I bought it from him a couple of years ago.

JD's, 45's, Knuckles, Pans even a Goulding sidecar all in a dark, nasty basement...what more could a boy want?

One for Guy (GK)

"Where did you get this piece of garbage truck?" ...Bull (HAoW).

Guy, Here is what you described in your comment...fresh outa the police auction and stripped down.

Tribute to the '45

Here's a little 45 I built and sold in the late 1980s. Stock rear fender with the flap welded on, chrome heads, 21 in wheel, drag bars, dog bones, sprung solo seat, stock springer and a bates head light. This was typical of bikes you could build on the cheap back then. I remember the standard price for a 45 frame for many years was $150, 45 Springer $100 to $150, tanks $75 to $100, etc.

45 motors and tranny's were dirt cheap too! There were NOS parts in cosmoline everywhere. I still have NOS cylinders in the U.S. Government boxes left over. They came with pistons and valves. The "problem" is these '45 motors run forever and hardly ever wear out! If they do you just go a little oversize and throw a piston in it.

I have had the same trike since I was a kid and it just keeps going. It was smoking real bad out of the rear cylinder 25 years ago so I popped off the jug, pulled out the standard piston ran a hone through it and put a 5 over piston in it. I haven't touched it since and I ride it all the time to this day!

These little Flatheads are indestructible!

Bikes I used to have...

I was going through some more old pictures and thought I would post some shots of a few of the bikes I used to have in the late 80's. A couple of the pics are from about 1990. These were bought (or built)and sold back then. The two 45's in the middle were my favorites of this bunch. The one with the 49 Hydra glide reminded me of Chino's pan and I can't explain what the previous owner of the Pink, Purple, Yellow and Blue 1948 WL was thinkin'! Jimi Hendrix, Acid, alternative life style... who knows!

I still have the red and white dice shifter knob off that one (it's on my 47 Knuckle) and there is a pink rear fender flap up in the attic that was on it.

The black bobbed Indian Chief with the leaf spring was one of several attempts I made at going over to Brand "X". It just wasn't meant to be...

Wauseon Ohio 2009 More

What could be better then Drag Racing Knuckleheads in Englishtown NJ one weekend and Flat Track Racing Flatheads in Western Ohio the next?

Well that's how my week went! My middle son and I just returned from Wauseon Ohio where the AMCA puts on a great National Meet and right on the grounds are Vintage Flat Track races! My old 1938 WLDR #33 was up to the task again this year and performed great for a motor that's been together for at least 50 years without a rebuild! My goals: Don't Crash and don't come in dead last...both achieved! I ran in the Hand Shift Class 1936 - 1951. What a friggin' blast!

The Board track Class was really alive this year with about 14 Board track bikes on the track 1929 and back. This is no fluffy parade lap these guys do beat those things which was evident when I witnessed Evan's J model (ridden by Pat "The Thin Man") blow chunks of cylinder head across the track. Dale Walkser brought out "The Last Board Tracker" built by HD in 1929. Cool OHV DAH type Motor with a crazy story behind it. They were shooting a pilot for a History Channel show during the race. There's a picture of the bike in the previous post.

You gotta make Wauseon!!! It is always worth the 550 mile trip for me. Not to mention I picked up a great unmolested (slightly bent) 39 Knuckle frame.

Wauseon 2009 AMCA Meet and Dirt Track Races!!!

Wauseon Ohio 2009!!!! I screwed this posting up so I am doing it in two. Up at the top of this one is Dick Zurbick with his 1948 WR #75, Dick is 82 years old and still flat track racing! Below him is Dale Walkser's "Last Board Track Racer" 1929 DAH style engine with a bazzar story behind it. There's a shot of our bikes in the pits, the "bobber" display which is actually a very small portion of it and Dennis on his KR.

Motor Speedway Drag Races!!!!!!!

Got back last night from the MOTOR SPEEDWAY Drag Races at Raceway Park Englishtown NJ.

What a blast! Where else can you get on a real 1/8 Drag Strip and race Knuckleheads? Hot Rods and cars 1958 and older only, Bikes up to 1965. Oh yeah and a Real Live Flag Girl!

Mel runs a great show and what a great bar on site! Check out the pics. The inside is littered with old bike and Hot Rod stuff, hell I rode my 41 Knuckle right in and up to the bar! ("A beer for me and a sidecar for my friend"). Next thing you know there was a 57 Pan and an Indian pulled in with me! We hung out late into the night. Mel plays old Hot Rod and Bike movies on a giant outdoor screen, Drive In style after dark. A bunch of other guys from the AMCA came in from South Jersey, PA and NY State. There was everything form a JD Twin Cam to Knuckleheads, Panheads, Flatheads, Triumphs you name it.

I might have to head back there again this summer (unless Mel got tossed outta there after our antics...). They will be doing this throughout the summer so check it out if you are around Jersey!
I forgot my camera so I popped off a few pics with my cell phone. I'll get some more pictures and throw them up.

Russ Paradise Revisited

Back in April Russ Paradise passed away. I did a post on him then. I found a few more pictures. The ones of his 39WLDR are from 1991 in Wauseon Ohio and the one of me and him are from Wauseon Ohio again in 2003 with our Dueling Grimy Knuckleheads!

One hell of a guy...

Here They Are...

See the previuos post for an explaination.

4th of July semi Re-Post

It's the 4th of July so I figured I'd re-post a picture of my 47 U from a July 4th 1985 party in Jersey (top) and add a few more of the bike when I first built it in the early 80's. I built it in my bedroom and as you can see there were a few more projects going on in there as well. I built and rode it as a cut down Bob Job for a while and eventually went to the ape hangers and the 21 inch wheel. I gave it that nice patriotic paint scheme which a friend of mines father referred to as a "Demolition Derby" paint job. The guy must have been a psychic because I ended up crashing the bike coming out of New York City and he was the one that scooped me up and took me to the hospital! Demolition Derby indeed!

The stars and stripes were actually not inspired by Peter Fonda, I thought he was just a fake Hippie that happened to ride a motorcycle in a movie...not a "biker" even as it was defined in Hollywood in the 60's (which I kinda liked).

I'm not sure what happened to the country I was so proud of back then. I have to watch the History Channel or look through old copies of American Motorcycling from the 40's and 50's to remember or maybe just jump on a Knucklehead and do a 30 ft burn out!

By the way this is the same 47 U that is in the previous post. I flashed it up a bit and got carried away with the red powdercoat! What the hell...

The banged up Stars and Stripes still hang on the wall to this day some 25 years later...

47 Flathead Re-Build Early 2006

In early 2005 I decided to rebuild my old 47 U model. Back in 89 the bike seemed to be loosing power so I popped off the iron heads to install a set of Aluminum ones. When I had a look in the holes I saw what the problem was, a nice little chunck missing from the rear piston. I yanked out the engine and off it went into the corner. I ended up steeling the chasis and using it for my 47 knuckle for about 13 years. When the knuckle was ready for a rebuild I decided to re-shuffle and get the Flatty back together with the original chasis it came in. Here are some pictures from its latest rebuild from 2006.